Police Are Ready For Songkran, Chief Assures Citizens

[Lite Beer]

Police are ready for Songkran, chief assures citizens
Chanikarn Phumhirun
The Nation on Sunday

BANGKOK: -- Police are ready to provide assistance to travellers and maintain law and order during the Songkran festival from April 11-17, national police chief Adul Saengsingkaew said.

Speaking on the "PM Yingluck Shinawatra's Government Meets the People" programme aired yesterday, Adul urged travellers returning to their hometowns during Songkran to plan ahead, and affirmed that many agencies including the Interior Ministry, Highway Department, Public Health Ministry and Tourist Police would facilitate safe travelling.

Police would set up checkpoints and pit stops on main and secondary roads, as well as providing first-aid units on roadsides to reduce casualties in road accidents during the period, which is notorious for its high road toll, mostly from drunk driving and failure to wear helmets and seatbelts.

Adul urged travellers to lock their homes and report to their local precincts to join a project under which homes can be left under police care. Adul also explained that the prohibition against people splashing water from the back of pick-up trucks wasn't a law, but a request from authorities for co-operation in a bid to reduce road accidents.

Meanwhile, Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) reported that at least 2.69 million tourists would arrive in Thailand on 16,000 flights from next week to celebrate the water-splashing festival. Several airlines will increase flights to Bangkok on April 9-18.

Flights via Suvarnabhumi Airport will be boosted from 802 a day to 844 day (682 international flights and 162 domestic flights) throughout the period. Passengers using the airport during Songkran will increase from around 157,000 to 164,000 persons a day.

Don Mueang Airport, which provides budget airline services, will be equally busy with 370 flights a day, up from the normal 320. Passenger traffic will rise to about 50,000 a day from the regular 45,000, the AOT said.

Phuket Airport will see 191 flights a day over the holiday period, an increase from the normal 170, while passengers will increase from 27,000 a day to 30,000.

At Chiang Mai Airport, 128 flights will tread the runway each day during the festival. Normal traffic at the airport is 120 flights a day. Passengers will increase from 13,800 a day to 14,600.

-- The Nation 2013-04-07

[arthurboy]

Police are ready to provide assistance to travellers and maintain law and order during the Songkran festival from April 11-17, national police chief Adul Saengsingkaew said.

Perhaps this could apply to the rest of the year, too.

[bkkgriz]

Police are ready to provide assistance to travellers and maintain law and order during the Songkran festival from April 11-17, national police chief Adul Saengsingkaew said.

Perhaps this could apply to the rest of the year, too.

There is a first time for everything. I'm sure the BIB won't let us down.

[Locationthailand]

Police are ready? What all 200 of them as reported yesterday?

[Bluespunk]

Are the 2.69 million really just coming for songkran as reports keep claiming. Might it not just be that their holidays have accidentally coincided with songkran?

[Thai at Heart]

"We are waiting for the last tally of pocketed speeding tickets then we will stock the fridge and put our feet up"????

[LuckyLew]

Was not aware police are dressing as ladyboys boys for Songkran, maybe they will now get some repect

"Adul urged travellers to lock their homes and report to their local precincts to join a project under which homes can be left under police care"

Sure thing ... leave your home under police care, come back from holidays and you get to keep the free lab

[Ricardo]

"We've all booked the week off, donned our extreme-weather waterproofs, and laid-in a stock of beer at the check-points/police-stations/traffic-control-boxes, and will re-emerge to resume normal collection of money operations once it's all over ! Happy Songkran from the BiBs !"

"Let the wet T-shirt (and everything else) competition commence !"

Edited April 7, 2013 by Ricardo

[thequietman]

Ticket book for fines (check), special sunglasses that can only see motorbikes but not pickup infraction (check), New pockets sewn into jacket,shirt and trousers for "fines" (check), big cushion for my arse (check) big umbrella to keep off sun (check) 1 bottle of whisky (check).

Yep, we're ready. Bring on Songkran.

[Hornell]

I don't get these figures; 16,000 flights minus the 6,000 odd for the week into Swampy leaves some 10,000 - where are they coming in and out? If Swampy has an extra 42 flights a day and pax increase by 7,000 (as stated) that means 167 pax per flight - small planes! Agree completely with Bluespunk (!) that there is no reason to assume that all people coming to Thailand at this period are coming for the water splashing. It's a rubbish report but pretty typical of the tat that TAT keeps churning out.

[siampolee]

Larger waterproof wallets have been issued to all police personnel to ensure that all paper money is dry upon arriving at the share out point police station thus ensuring a quick distribution of the income to each according to their rank without the necessity of having to hang up the paper money to dry before distribution.

Edited April 7, 2013 by siampolee

[bendejo]

Police are ready for Songkran

yep, pockets empty, all ready to get to work filling them up again!

[OzMick]

I can only assume the alcohol bans will also apply to policemen, with severe repercussions for any police found drinking on the job. Which assumes that someone might look for them, so they could be found.

[Bellweather]

Police are ready? What all 200 of them as reported yesterday?

I remember seeing a news report on TV from Khon Kaen on Songkran having started early and there were the BIB on the back of a truck having ditches their service revolvers in favour of water pistols and fully involved. Of yes they are ready !

[Bellweather]

Are the 2.69 million really just coming for songkran as reports keep claiming. Might it not just be that their holidays have accidentally coincided with songkran?

The younger tourists may well come for the Kao Shan Road style revelry but older ones, who know what happens, don't want to be imprisoned in the hotel. I have to say that this also applies to older Thais too, as many of my more " mature " neighbours, like me, hide at home.

TAT takes every opportunity to justify their suspect figures or as the early morning news show on IN Channel had it, tourists " flocking " here for Songkran

[Johnnie99]

Who else is going to hold their breath and see? I know I am!

[Andre0720]

Police are ready to provide assistance to travellers and maintain law and order during the Songkran festival from April 11-17, national police chief Adul Saengsingkaew said.

Perhaps this could apply to the rest of the year, too.

But he was quite CLEAR.

''maintain law and order during the Songkran festival from April 11-17''

[thailandtony77]

Like the vast majority of news stories which feature on this site they are full of misleading information and very misleading headlines. I quote:

"Adul also explained that the prohibition against people splashing water from the back of pick-up trucks wasn't a law, but a request from authorities for co-operation in a bid to reduce road accidents"

I am not sure what Adul actually said but how can a 'prohibition' be translated to a 'request' ??

A more recent story also claimed that Thailand would move to driving on right hand side of road ??? Absolute nonsense - road accidents would go through the roof and costs to car owners would be considerable to change steering wheels over - just more misleading information.

And as for members negative comments about Thailand in general - I ask myself if the place is so bad why are you here ???

[finnomick1]

Well they're going to be ready a week late -- Sonkran started yesterday ( saturday ) around here in Buriram province with people flooding home for a 9 day holiday. So much for containing Sonkran.....

[sunshine51]

Police are ready to provide assistance to travellers and
maintain law and order during the Songkran festival from April 11-17,
national police chief Adul Saengsingkaew said.

Boy Howdy...I feel completely relieved now. Any chance on doing the

same throughout the year?

[Andre0720]

These people in authority need to hire some Public Relations experts.

Simply because what comes out is worded in such a ridiculous fashion...

[surangw]

the police are ready, they stocked up on booze ahead of time.

[rubl]

In a latest development the RTP in co-operation with the BMA has prohibited the UDD to stage a commemoration rally at Ratchaprasong on the 10th (planned to last from 1PM to midnight). As many people want to go out of the city at that time, any rally would obstruct the flow of traffic. The UDD has been advised to move their rally to Saturday 13th which is also a nice day.

Tongue-in-cheeky

[HarryMilton]

I can only assume the alcohol bans will also apply to policemen, with severe repercussions for any police found drinking on the job. Which assumes that someone might look for them, so they could be found.

What alcohol bans?

[HarryMilton]

Like the vast majority of news stories which feature on this site they are full of misleading information and very misleading headlines. I quote:

"Adul also explained that the prohibition against people splashing water from the back of pick-up trucks wasn't a law, but a request from authorities for co-operation in a bid to reduce road accidents"

I am not sure what Adul actually said but how can a 'prohibition' be translated to a 'request' ??

A more recent story also claimed that Thailand would move to driving on right hand side of road ??? Absolute nonsense - road accidents would go through the roof and costs to car owners would be considerable to change steering wheels over - just more misleading information.

And as for members negative comments about Thailand in general - I ask myself if the place is so bad why are you here ???

What date was the report that said Thailand would change to driving on the right?

[maidu]

If they are as ready to do their duty, as they were during, and at the culmination, of the Red Shirt problems on 2010 - then I'll stay at home. I don't particularly like having a 40 pound bucket-load of water thrown at me, full force by a strong fellow, from 2 feet away - while I'm riding a motorbike - particularly when I don't see it the assault coming.

[maidu]

Like the vast majority of news stories which feature on this site they are full of misleading information and very misleading headlines. I quote:

"Adul also explained that the prohibition against people splashing water from the back of pick-up trucks wasn't a law, but a request from authorities for co-operation in a bid to reduce road accidents"

I am not sure what Adul actually said but how can a 'prohibition' be translated to a 'request' ??

There is one simple reason why the cops changed the 'prohibition' to a 'request' In a spazm of clarity, the top cop realized kids are going to throw water en masse, and there's not the slightest thing any 20,000 Thai cops can do to tone it down one iota.

[thailandtony77]

Like the vast majority of news stories which feature on this site they are full of misleading information and very misleading headlines. I quote:

"Adul also explained that the prohibition against people splashing water from the back of pick-up trucks wasn't a law, but a request from authorities for co-operation in a bid to reduce road accidents"

I am not sure what Adul actually said but how can a 'prohibition' be translated to a 'request' ??

A more recent story also claimed that Thailand would move to driving on right hand side of road ??? Absolute nonsense - road accidents would go through the roof and costs to car owners would be considerable to change steering wheels over - just more misleading information.

And as for members negative comments about Thailand in general - I ask myself if the place is so bad why are you here ???

What date was the report that said Thailand would change to driving on the right?

This is the link to the story - notice the headline - more misinformation.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630001-thailand-to-change-from-left-to-right-hand-driving/

[cloghead]

Larger waterproof wallets have been issued to all police personnel to ensure that all paper money is dry upon arriving at the share out point police station thus ensuring a quick distribution of the income to each according to their rank without the necessity of having to hang up the paper money to dry before distribution.

Like these? Buy a tub of Walls ice cream and get one for free...

[rubl]

Police ready and already overworked!

From Thailand Live Monday 8th:
RT@RichardBarrow: If you spot any public transportation driver acting dangerously on the road, please call the hotline 1584